Kaizer Chiefs recently dropped a bombshell on one of their strikers with just two games remaining in the DStv Premiership.
The move could easily spell an end to the player’s Naturena career, with another clearout set to happen at the end of the season.
Chiefs parted ways with 12 players at the end of last season. The majority of those players were out of contract at the time.
It appears the club intends to part with a few more players when their contracts end. FARPost can reveal that some of the players leaving Naturena have been told already.
Phathutshedzo Nange, Eric Mathoho, Cole Alexander and Austin Dube are seemingly headed for the exit. The fate of Khama Billiat will also be decided, and so will that of Njabulo Ngcobo, who still has a year on his contract.
And now, FARPost has established that Zwane told out-of-favour striker Caleb Bimenyimana that he has no future in his squad.
The Burundian has not seen action in recent weeks after falling down the pecking order at the club.
CALEB Bimenyimana SET TO PART WAYS WITH CHIEFS
Between February and May, he has seen little action. Even still, the 25-year-old is among the club’s top scorers in the DStv Premiership, having scored seven goals.
Kaizer Chiefs were over-reliant on him following his arrival early in the season, even playing through injuries at some point.
According to a player, who requested anonymity, Zwane last week told the lanky forward he would release him at the end of the season.
However, it is unclear if the player will be released from his contract or if he meant a loan spell for the remainder of his contract.
Bimenyimana signed a two-year deal with an option of a year. He will have a season left at the end of the season.
KAIZER CHIEFS PLAYER ON ARTHUR ZWANE
“It’s pretty disappointing how the coach told Caleb that he will be gone at the end of the season. If that’s the case, you call a player into the office and explain your decision to him privately,” said the player.
“It’s a bit inappropriate to say it in front of teammates. They were not there when the club brought the player. It gets us as players wondering if our coach would ever stand for us to protect us.
“Last season, the coach would tell you guys [the media] that some of us are not good enough. He will get rid of many of us. It affects us as players. He must protect us.
“I’d imagine what he did to Caleb will affect his confidence. It’s really disappointing,” the player said.
Before signing for Chiefs, Bimenyimana was assessed by Zwane and his technical team. Zwane came out and told the media that he was not the type of striker he wanted.
At the 2022/23 DStv Premiership season launch just days before the first round of fixtures, Zwane made it clear they were only partially satisfied with the forward.
“Look, he has done well, to be quite honest. We’re still undecided as to whether we will bring him on or if we are still looking. We’re looking for a certain type of striker with the way we want to play and how we are going to play in future,” said Zwane.
ARTHUR ZWANE ON CALEB’S ATTRIBUTES
“We can’t just have someone who will sit inside the box. Yes, he is very mobile and comfortable on the ball, but we are also looking at other qualities.
“If we can get one better than him, we might go for that. But at the moment, there is no one better than him while we are still looking. The league has also given us the opportunity by extending the deadline [for the transfer window], so we will capitalise on that. We will keep hunting until we find one,.
The club made a U-turn after the 4-0 drubbing by Mamelodi Sundowns, signing the striker on August 18, 2022. Management then signed Bimenyimana, seemingly against the will of the coach.
He had a bright start in the PSL, with his brace against SuperSport United winning Chiefs the game. He hit the target again in a 2-1 win against Swallows.
Bimenyimana netted a hattrick of penalties – writing himself into the history books as the first player to achieve the feat since the inception of the Premier Soccer League in 1996-97.
However, with the arrival of Christian Saile, he has fallen out of favour. Saile has scored three goals in 13 appearances for Chiefs. Two of those were in the league.
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